Telangana High Court orders Telangana State to improve RTI portal disposal

• A law student has filed a PIL in the Telangana High Court over the dismal disposal rate of RTI applications on the state's online portal.
• Only 377 out of 17,865 RTI applications have been disposed of since the portal's launch, with not a single first appeal resolved.
• The court has granted the state government one week to file a counter affidavit and may consider directions for improving the disposal rate.

According to official data obtained by Reddy through RTI applications, only 377 out of 17,865 RTI applications have been disposed of since the portal's launch.

A law student, Banappagari Vinay Reddy, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Telangana High Court, highlighting a dismal disposal rate of RTI applications on the state's online portal. According to official data obtained by Reddy through RTI applications, only 377 out of 17,865 RTI applications have been disposed of since the portal's launch. Furthermore, not a single first appeal filed through the portal has been resolved, with 2,502 pending. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of the portal in facilitating transparency and accountability.

The PIL was filed by Reddy, who is appearing as a party-in-person, seeking directions to the state government to improve the disposal rate on the RTI Online Portal. The petition also seeks a transfer of the design, development, and hosting of the portal to the National Informatics Centre (NIC), but the court clarified that this prayer would not be considered within the scope of the PIL. The case has significant implications for public authorities in Telangana, who are required to use the RTI Online Portal for disposing of RTI applications.

The low disposal rate on the RTI portal is a cause for concern, as it indicates a potential compliance exposure for public authorities in Telangana. The state government has been granted one week to file a counter affidavit, and the court's decision may have far-reaching implications for transparency and accountability in the state. Lawyers and compliance officers should closely monitor this development, as it may set a precedent for other states to follow.

Lawyers and compliance officers should watch for this development as it may indicate a potential compliance exposure for public authorities in Telangana, who are required to use the RTI Online Portal for disposing of RTI applications.

Source: Original reporting via The Hindu